To wish Sir Keir and his wife would not hold hands when working

[BeaQuiet]

They've arrived in Washington DC on official business clutching hands like the Macrons, the Obamas and the Sussexes.

AiBU to find it a bit cringey?

And before anyone asks, yes I do have bigger things to worry about but I fancy a chat.

I suppose it's to demonstrate that it's more than a job, and that they devote their whole self to their mission.

Yes it's cringey. They are adults not teenagers.

I agree OP, feels a bit unprofessional, no need!

It’s not professional imo.
When you’re in work you don’t hold hands with your dp.

They do like each other.
You can still have a happy marriage without holding hands.

I don't mind it and it's not like they're the first politicians to do it.

However I work with my DH and personally it's not something we ever do.

I disagree with this too. It’s not that it’s Labour vs Tory. I think that being an mp and pm is a job. You don’t your partner to work unless you work together .

The lady with M. Macron, that's his wife? I thought that was his Mum, and she was holding his hand because he was upset about the far right. 😀

It's a bit like watching the holiday programs on the telly. Couples on there are always clinging on to each other🤮🤮🤮

Why are people in such a bad mood this morning good grief. In high society and royal circles it is not considered to be good manners for husbands and wives to cling together like bonobo monkeys or hold hands in public and it always has been thus.
Maybe things are changing I don't know.
If I was Mrs Starmer I'd go too because the shopping in the USA is great. I can get my awkward shoe size anywhere and they do 30 inch leg length trousers which you can't get here.

You can have a happy marriage without PDA

Don't think it's sweet, I think it's bad manners. I used to work with my husband, and work is work, home is home. Never affection at work - is a good rule, because won't send any mixed signals to anyone, is culturally neutral and simply good work ethic.

I don't care either way. I can imagine it happens quite spontaneously. I don't think they 'should' hold hands, but if it works for them, whatever gets them through. It's also fine for him to go places alone (as he did for most of the election campaign, even though she may have boosted his profile) and not to hold hands.

Maybe they're holding onto each other because the spotlight is pretty overwhelming at the moment? When I'm stressed in a situation I reach for my partner for reassurance. It's not like Lady Vic is pulling up a chair beside him at the Nato talks or asking to sit on his knee when he meets Biden.

Jesus. Tell me you meant to say “spouses” at least.

His whole life is now deemed as work.. a bit unfair to say you don’t think he should hold his wife’s hand while working when there’s no escaping work now.

nothing wrong with it, he’s human.. leave the man to do his job, wife in hand or not.

I'm confused why KS is getting criticism for this when Sunak, Johnson, Major, Cameron, Obama, Biden, all have been filmed holding hands with their other half.
If it's wrong for Starmer, it's wrong for them too

I agree OP. No issue with her being there but the hand holding makes him look like a 4 year-old.

I noticed that they had each others’ hands tightly clasped when greeting all the supporters in Downing Street, I found it weird, it would have been much easier to greet the crowd not joined at the hip and with both hands free!

Lovely couple but I agree about the hand-holding when you're out and about on official business.

It's a meeting of NATO not a social event so I don't know why spouses are there in the first place!

I think it was the Clinton's who started this, along with walking hand in hand with an adult daughter. I don't know any woman who would attend anything hand in hand with her father.

Mrs. Macron used to be his school teacher. I’m not criticising her age/looks though.

Absolutely bonkers.
Meghan probably holds tight to him because of ptsd from all the racism and death threats.
The people who hate H&M are the same ilk as the people who were persuaded to hate corbyn and gave us the most ineffective and blandest incarnation of labour ever.

Witch burning conservative types take comfort from a veneer of respectability and predictability. Nothing too challenging to think about.
middle england at its finest.

Reading threads like this make me realise why i’m generally a pretty happy and chilled person

each to their own

and holding hands…. if im going to think anything about it (which is unlikely!) it would be… nice

Because they are Tory or Reform voters who lost, terribly, and are bitter and can't find anything else bad to say. So they pick on something nice and normal which their alien lizard leaders found awkward, because they are not really human.

HOLD THE FRONT PAGE! PRIME MINISTER LOVES HIS WIFE!

Strange thread. Almost as if some posters have never noticed before that spouses commonly attend big events like NATO, G7, COP etc. I don't remember loads of threads about why Carrie Johnson was on the beach in Cornwall with Jill Biden or why Sam Cam was lining up with the other partners for the photo ops.

Almost as if it's wrong because it's Starmer and Obama and Macron and the Sussexes ..... Though that couldn't be right because what do they have in common.....?